What to do if you are "made"?

[USA1]

My wife doesn't even ask anymore.

[Reloader]

I have carried an S&W 629 4" in a IWB Kramer holster under a polo shirt and never bee made, including 3 speedloaders on the belt. 6' 235lbs.

[packa45]

I was at GTdistributors late Friday afternoon and there was a young man at the firearms counter looking at the used flocks because he didn't qualify for their discounted pricing on the new ones. Then I noticed the handle of his lcp or keltec 3at sticking out of his back pocket...I pulled out a piece of paper and wrote " Your 2nd ammendment is showing" and handed it to him and went about my business browsing the other items in the store...

A few minutes later I saw him browsing the iwb holsters and I just happened to be in the area and he asked me what my note meant. So I told him hus firearm was sticking out of his pocket and he may want to conceal it.

Honestly why carry if you don't know what your 2nd ammendment is? My oppinion is concealed means concealed or at least take precautions to make sure it is concealed why throw a pocket holster in your back pocket with your wallet so there is a huge bulge and the handle is sticking out plainas day....that is just lack of effort to conceal

[tanker1983]

At packa45..that sounds like a guy who is not a legal CC. The whole 2nd Amendment thing leads me to think that. JMHO.

[packa45]

That's what I was thinking... however the staff did take his chl and dl away to make a copy for a purchase that he was making...do maybe he felt the need to reveal it because he was not in possession of his license...I don't know just speculation

[Billy78945]

I live in central Texas, and alot of our county officers are plain clothed officers that carry outside of their clothing. I think it would be safe to say that alot of people will asume that you have the autority to carry a weapon if they see it. The other thing is, if this open carry passes you won't have to worry about it. But I could be wrong.

[v-rog]

I agree but my neighbors would definitely "make" me if I wore a three-piece suit or slacks while mowing the lawn

Act confident and leave if they tell you to, but don't leave if they don't request it. If you leave without anyone requesting it, then you'll seem guilty. If you see cops, grab some cumulous clouds pronto. Do not have anything in your hands such as a cell phone while you have your hands in the air. Do not try to disarm for the cops. Let the cops disarm you if they want. Doing anything else in front of the cops will get you shot a la Erik Scott.

That said, I've been "made" 3 times;
1. I dropped my Glock 19 at the Japanese fair due to a holster malfunction. A gentleman pointed it out to me, I bowed, "Origato (thanks)," and dropped it back into my backpack. I continued to enjoy the rest of the day at the fair with no incident.

2. I forgot to put on a cover garment and walked outside to walk my dog with a Glock 19 OWB strapped to my hip. Another dog walker noticed and looked concerned. I smiled, looked him in the eye, and waved, "Hi." My confidence immediately made him relax as he assumed that I was LEO or someone else legally able to OC.

3. Just before my "Wally walk," I was fidgeting with my gun holster in my car in the Wally World parking lot. A tall pickup parked next to me and the passenger noticed my gun. I smiled at her and said, "Howdy, m'am." She immediately smiled and assumed that whatever I was doing is legal.

I was O.K. all three times. As long as you act confident, you'll be O.K. If you act guilty and try to sneak away without being seen, then I'll guarantee you that the cops will be waiting to greet you at the exit.

Lessons to take away from this;
1. Dress nice. If you're carrying, wear at least business casual. Try to wear a 3 piece suit, but if it is too hot, at least dress business causal. If you are "made" and look like a thug, you may get shot.2. Be polite, respectful, and confident if you are "made". Your confidence will tell then that you are a law-abiding citizen. Don't try to sneak away. That only makes you look guilty.
3. Add the cover garment to your mental checklist before you leave the house; lock doors (check), bring car keys (check), cover garment (check), etc.

[speedsix]

...sorry, Pal...no can do...climbing ladders, through attics, and crawling under houses through people-poo doesn't lend itself to nice business casual...it's bluejeans and boots and tshirt...sometimes 3 clean ones in a day...demeanor and manners and looking people in the eye with a smile and a kind word kinda gets a roughly-dressed and dirty guy through...I do try to shave most days...but demeanor carries more weight than dress...carrying, made, or not...

"...made and look like a thug..." the THUGS who've done the most crime in this country WEAR 3-piece suits and shave EVERY day...'round here, they raise eyebrows quicker'n an old rough country boy...with a 1911 .45 on his hip...saw one in Amarillo one day eating at the counter of a restaurant...no badge...old jeans and cowboy shirt...rough hair and mustache...tanned and just plain old...nobody blinked at all......nice old nickel-plated .1911...looked like he belonged to me...

[thatguy]

To my knowledge, I have only been made once while I was shopping a Kroger store about 12 years ago. I reached up to help a lady get something from the top shelf and my shirt road up and hung up on the top of my pistol. I knew there was a problem when she stopped talking, so I slowly looked at her then down at my gun and thought "oh shoot" here we go. I stepped to the side so she could not see the gun anymore, handed her the item and as soon as she tore her gaze from my gun I simply picked my shirt up and let it drop back down. I bid her a good day and calmly but quickly left the store.

Hopefully this does not repeat but if I think someone has seen my gun, it is time to leave. I do not want to be AMWAG call to the police.

[speedsix]

...Swamp Fox!!!

[bilgerat57]

I was "made" in a store by a teenaged employee once while the wife and I were shopping. The employee pointed at the bulge in my shirt and asked if it was a gun. My wife never missed a beat as she said with a straight face...."No I got his appendix excited and it's chasing me!" Me - red faced, wife - smug look, employee - probably still confused....... I saved the explosive laughter until I was outside and had somewhere to fall over!

[speedsix]

...hilarious...but my wife has no sense of humor...if an employee asked me that, I'd more likely look them straight in the eye and ask them the most personal question I could come up with...but I wouldn't give them an answer...